Tag Archives: France Tourism

Atout France, the France Tourism Development Agency recently organised the 6th edition of its annual B2B showcase Explore France at the JW Marriott in Goa from 7th to 11th October. A delegation of 23 key stakeholders representing the diversity of France’s touristic offering interacted with 50 members of the Indian travel trade fraternity over 2 days of pre-scheduled meetings and also interacted with trade media representatives. An approximate of 1100 meetings took place over these two days enabling the partners and agents to understand the evolution of travel trends and discuss potential business opportunities. This evolutive edition of the showcase commenced with a presentation for the delegation on the Indian travel landscape and the ever-evolving profile of the Indian traveller and trends prevalent in the country. The presentation included a showcase of the legacy of family run travel businesses in India and the importance of the family segment in Indian outbound travel by Neil Patil, COO, Veena World. There was an introduction also by NPCI Payments International Limited and Lyra on the importance and integration of UPI as a seamless mode of digital payments and its advancement in France. The opening dinner of the workshop took place in the presence of the Consul General of France in Mumbai Jean-Marc Séré-Charlet. In addition to the pre-scheduled meetings, this year, the delegation also had an opportunity to present their offerings to the assembled agents. An interactive visa session was also organised in association with the Consulate General of France in Mumbai and VFS Global to discuss visa procedures and address commonly asked queries by Sami Bouakaze – Consul and Deputy Head of Mission. The networking evenings provided many opportunities for the participants …

Sheetal Munshaw, Director India, Atout France, highlighted, “There is a renewed focus of Paris Region on India, and the fact that they will have a presence in Mumbai goes to show their commitment to the Indian market. Paris is the gateway for Indian visitors into France and the focus now is to discover different facets of Paris, showcase different areas of the city, including Notre-Dame which will re-open this year. The message is that Paris is so much more than what is already known to travellers.” There are so many unexplored products on the table that need to be promoted and experienced by the travellers.

Sheetal Munshaw, Director – Atout France India, reveals that India is within the top 15 source markets for France. According to Oxford Economics, an estimated 4,96,000 Indian visitors are expected to visit France in 2023. With the Rugby World Cup will further help in positioning France as a preferred destination.